On September 3, 2018, Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann announced that Lars-Erik Cederman has been awarded this year’s Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize. Perceived as the most important science prize in Switzerland and sometimes called the "Swiss Nobel Prize", this is a wonderful recognition of Lars-Erik Cederman's scientific œuvre.

How does nationalism change the state? As part of his ERC Advanced Grant, Lars-Erik Cederman,
Professor of International Conflict Research, proposes a new theory of nationalist state
transformation. He aims to test this theory using historical maps and archival data selected
using machine learning. In the ERC project, he examines how states emerge, how nationalism
alters external borders and inner structures, and how such processes interact with warfare.
Cederman plans to use the results to estimate the extent to which particular political reform
proposals – such as territorial division or power sharing – can reduce emerging risks of
conflict. The findings will be especially relevant to multi-ethnic states.